Dual P60 Headlamp Designing

So my original machinist developed sudden brain cancer and passed away, and was also a father-figure to me, so that was kinda rough.

Then I got a new job and ended up working all over the country at different sites, then that job died off after the sites were finished and I've been out of work. In the meantime I moved from SoCal to Northern Illinois. Life just seems to have it's own plans sometimes.

But I'm back at it!
And I've secured a new machinist for prototyping, and have been logging hours on solidworks again.

I wanted to share what I'm working with so far. It's still in the R&D stage, so I'd really appreciate any comments, advice, suggestions, or questions.
It's easy to make something that *I* find useful, it's a bit more difficult to make something that I'd like other people to be happy with as well.

This was my original design:


In the interests of decreasing bulk and weight-on-the-forehead, and allowing for better thermal exchange, I've gone a different way...
I'm looking at doing either an in-line switch (for helmet mounted it'd end up in the middle of the side likely), or a battery case mounted switch. But I'm also still playing with the idea of putting the switch(es) ON the lightbody itself. What are your thoughts on this subject?

Here are some pics of where I'm at right now... (no o-ring grooves or threads shown atm)










Right now I've got it set up so the head pieces are compatible with the SolarForce platform, but I'm looking at perhaps going a different direction for better waterproofing and fewer parts. Thoughts? Any overwhelming benefits seen to having compatible parts with another manufacturer?

The cable port on the side will likely be a 90*elbow cable gland. The current piece in the picture is just for show.
The smaller holes above the cable port are the threaded holes for the mounting bracket.

Also thinking of revising the heat-fins on the head pieces. Perhaps fewer, a little thicker, with perpendicular cut-outs I'm trying to accommodate future LED technology and high heat levels to protect the dropins.

My goal is for you to be able to use common P60 dropins; with simple, user-friendly screw on modifications to change one over to a "flood" type, and the ability to run one or BOTH of them at the same time. Spot/Flood/Spot&Flood, in whatever modes you choose based on whatever dropins YOU want to use. With a single switch design they SHOULD be matched dropins, but with a double switch, you could operate each one independently based on your needs.

Toying with making the cable entrance go through to both sides, with a plug in the unused side to allow the wires to be run off either side, based on the user's needs. Adds one more spot to o-ring and adequately waterproof. Good? Bad?

What do you think?

Re: When will we see a P60 style headlight?

Also working on a modular single-dropin design which can be mounted using several different systems, just about anywhere, for anything. Strap mounted, helmet mounted, picatinny rail mounted, single-bolt mounted, etc.

Uses XT60 connectors, with will just plug straight into the back of the pod itself; and possibly options to daisy chain several of them together.

Any interest in this?

Simple concept design I whipped up:

Minimal as possible with semi decent heatsinking and standard parts is AWESOME.

LOVE the idea of an inline switch.

The white connectors that are on the Sten & on my KAVElight seem to work GREAT.

I also am using some silver coated copper cable from McMaster.

Standard glands are working great for me.
Mine aren't even riht angle

Keep us posted!

Re: When will we see a P60 style headlight?

Just dropped another 30g off the basic headbody.

This is... Iteration 3-2-5, comes out at 71.05g.

Dropins weigh about 20g apiece. = 40g
The ribbed head pieces each weigh 26.25g, = 52.5g

Total = 163.55g = 5.53oz

I'll keep working.

That's pretty lightweight!

Having the solarforce bezels screw down on top should work great.

I've had pretty amazing luck with the water resistance of them with some nano-lube and an oring or two.

That would mean standard sized UCL too in case a lens breaks.

The Ti blade mounts that The Sten use are working fairly well for me - tho I modded mine to slip under my visor screw.

Re: When will we see a P60 style headlight?

psychbeat said:

That's pretty lightweight!

Having the solarforce bezels screw down on top should work great.

I've had pretty amazing luck with the water resistance of them with some nano-lube and an oring or two.

That would mean standard sized UCL too in case a lens breaks.

The Ti blade mounts that The Sten use are working fairly well for me - tho I modded mine to slip under my visor screw.

Click to expand...

Are those standard "frog" blade mounts, like the kind mining lights use?

I have a Speedy Special custom mine light that has a blade mount that fits the slot on the front of my Petzl Vertex Vent. Same kinda thing?



Oh, also, the design in my last post doesn't JUST use the SF bezel, it uses the same type of "screw on head" that the bezel then screws into... the "ribbed head" that's shown in the SolidWorks assembly I posted is basically sized to fit a SolarForce lightbody. So they'd be interchangeable.

You could actually also use MY ribbed head design on a SolarForce light.

Yep- I meant head/bezel
My blade mount looks a bit different but I'm not @home so I can't post a pic.
Ill post one later.
Keeping the two modules as close together as possible while still being able to unscrew them would probably b a good idea.

Re: When will we see a P60 style headlight?

psychbeat said:

Yep- I meant head/bezel
My blade mount looks a bit different but I'm not @home so I can't post a pic.
Ill post one later.
Keeping the two modules as close together as possible while still being able to unscrew them would probably b a good idea.

Click to expand...

They're currently set 4mm apart. Or, what will be 4mm apart with the ribbed heads screwed in-place.

Re: When will we see a P60 style headlight?

Finishing up a new design iteration which removes a bit more excess material, and allows the cable port to be run off of either side.

Re: When will we see a P60 style headlight?

Those look great to me. Very interested

Re: When will we see a P60 style headlight?

This could be something I would love to have in my 6P case. The modular nature of the drop in LEs is fantastic on its own and this seems to complete an excellent light arrangement.

I would fin the back of the body (at least a little)

Brake the corners on the outside a little.

To keep sise and weight down I would put the switch inline.

Yeah I think the in-line switch is the way to go also, otherwise it just adds too much mass to the body for the area to put in a decent switch.

This project seems to move ahead in spurts and bursts.

How do you mean "fin the back of the body?" Could you show me an example?

where the back of the body curves around, it's already only about 3mm from the thru-hole on the inside. Dropping weight is difficult when you mix it with maintaining structural integrity, and to a lesser extent "making it look nice". I still want it to be strong enough to hold up if someone crashes a bicycle with it, drives over it, or drops it.

Something like the heat sink from a cpu on the back of the body.

The-David said:

Something like the heat sink from a cpu on the back of the body.

Click to expand...

That would be pretty uncomfortable on a headband!

This would be pretty incredible with 2 MTG-2 modules - one dedomed and one domed.

So that was one of the other things... what am I looking at, as far as custom dropins, for total amp draw?

As far as switches and a custom battery holder that I'm working on with this, I was trying to figure out how much amp draw could also be put to it for future dropins as well. Would 10-ish be a good upper limit rounded number, or...higher?

Ten's proba cool or look at using one that's FET actuated like the one Mattaus is building.
I'm sure he'd be helpful on that front.

4x18650 in p or 2s2p or those cool flat cells u were taking about.

Yeap, I'm going with the LiPo flat cells.



3.7V, 10Ah, 8A discharge rate, protected.
5.6oz, (LxWxH): 159mm(6.3")x 62mm(2.4")x 14mm (0.6")

A couple of these in parallel will do nicely

6.3" certainly seems fairly long given it will be in some outer housing
Where's it going to be mounted?